Parental Conversations
by SEZCPL
Summary: The Story of Life With Derek through the conversations of Nora and George. McDonald/Venturi love...it comes in threes.
1. The Very First Time

He didn't look up when she sat down at the restaurant table. He was staring at the brief summary the organisers had provided him with.

_Nora McDonald. Medium height, dark brown hair, Interior designer. Likes: Long walks in the country, going to the ballet, most types of music but especially jazz, cooking._

_Hmm. Read middle-aged virgin and frumpy. She probably has _cats_.* _

He sighed. So paying the extra for the hand-picked dates rather than the computer-generated ones had been an expensive mistake. They probably matched them on the jazz bit. But let's face it jazz lovers come in a range of shapes and sizes. Derek was going to pay for this. He should have listened to Edwin who was keeping a firm hand on the family finances.

Then reality struck home. 'Middle-aged and frumpy' – who was he kidding, he wasn't exactly Brad Pit (who incidentally was looking amusingly old these days…)

"So, Nora." He said, still not looking up and hoping the boredom wouldn't show in his voice or his face.

"Tell me about yourself."

And then he did look up. Into one of the most beautiful faces he had ever seen.

A gong rang in his head, his heart and…let's face it he is a Venturi….his nether regions.

"_please!_" He pleaded.

And Derek was _so_ going to get a rise in his allowance!

She was nervous. George may have sat through endless rounds of dating experiences over the past few weeks, but this was Nora's first time. It was hard getting back on the dating rollercoaster. She hadn't dated since college and the world had changed since then. And so had Nora. It had taken a lot to leave Dennis last year, and although the girls missed him, she was still sure she had done the right thing. What they missed was an idealised memory of what life with their father had been like. The reality was they had rarely seen him in recent years, he worked long hours – It wasn't the hard work she objected to but the socialising. Long "contract negotiations" till the early hours with attractive young paralegals who simpered over him, and glared at Nora on the rare occasions he allowed her into the office.

She blinked at George's sudden enthusiasm and stare. Wasn't it normal to ask your date if they would like a drink, discuss the weather or something first?

George looked at her puzzled expression and then remembered he was an adult and there were social niceties to be observed. He laughed; a genuine laugh.

"I'm sorry." He apologised. "I'm nervous."

Nora smiled nervously back, still reeling from the effect his laugh had had on her.

"Me too. This is my first time."

And then the Venturi gene kicked in. "Really? You don't look like a virgin."

_Nice George. Even Derek wouldn't have used _that_ line._

Nora looked at him as though he had just belched. Which in a conversational sense he probably had.

"Sorry… I'm…"

"Nervous?" She said. They both laughed.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked then. She hadn't noticed how soft his voice was. She was sure that he could raise it if he wanted to, but there was something charming about the way he spoke. He wasn't bad looking either. _Come on girl, be honest with yourself, he's a HOTTIE! …Did I really just think that? What age are you, woman!_

"Nora?" He prompted and she remembered she was supposed to be choosing a drink. Casey's lectures on not drinking alcohol so that she stayed safe sprang to mind. But, suddenly she didn't want to come across as boring.

"What are you having?" she asked.

"Well I'm driving and I have ch…a heavy day tomorrow, so I was planning on just having a light beer."

"I'll have the same." She said, relieved. She didn't miss the slip though, and she wondered what he had been about to say.

George was kicking himself. He'd nearly ruined the entire date with that slip. He had asked the dating people not to pass on the fact that he had children, preferring to cross that bridge at a later time if any of the women seemed likely to hang around. And there he was almost blurting it across the table in the first five minutes.

There was something about Nora that made him want to be honest.

They ordered and filled the silence with the required amount of small talk. George was slightly disappointed. She was tense and he wasn't sure if it was that she didn't like him or if the nerves were getting to her. He hoped it was the latter.

He was smitten.

_And a sap._ He could almost hear his own thoughts – strange how they sounded rather like Derek…

Nora was relating a tale about a friend of hers who had gone on a date with a guy who had completely forgotten her name halfway the meal. The story was quite amusing, as she told about how he had tried to get her to confess her own name without revealing that he had forgotten it. To Nora's pleasure, George was chuckling with her. Nora rarely thought of herself as witty, but it made her relax.

"That sounds like something Derek would do." He said as the story came to an end.

"Derek?" Nora asked - to keep the conversation going more than any real interest.

"My so.." George paused. Nora looked at him. The honesty thing hit him again.

He dropped his shoulders. "My son."

Nora's eyes brightened. "You have a son?!" She sounded interested and she seemed to come alive. He found it even more attractive, if that was possible.

"Yeah." He admitted. "Two actually."

"I have two daughters!" Relief spread over both of them as the _big_ secret they were both struggling to hide came springing to the surface.

"I have one of them as well." George finished confessing.

"Do they live with their mother?"

"No. Me. My very-ex-wife is 'finding herself' in Spain."

"Oh." Wow! He's a _single dad who's involved with his kids!!!!_ Nora knew that Dennis' behaviour had probably spoilt the whole concept of fatherhood for her, but she was still impressed with George.

"My ex-husband is a litigation attorney in New York. The girls miss him."

"But you don't?" he questioned softly.

"I'd love to say that I miss him lying beside me at night or the kiss at the door in the morning, but as I can't even remember the last time that happened, I'd be lying."

"I'm a lawyer too. But community law. The hours were more suitable for looking after the kids when Abby left."

And suddenly Nora _got_ George. She knew then that he was a thoroughly nice person. He was an ex-husband who understood his marriage was making his wife unhappy – and let her go. He was a father who understood his children needed at least one parent – and changed jobs, and he was a lawyer who cared about the law. Okay so his jokes were lame and he really needed to stop drooling over her chest, but on the face of it. He was scoring plenty of ticks with Nora right now.

"How old are your children?" She asked.

Despite the fact that he had been racking his brain all day to think of topics to talk about that didn't involve Marti refusing to eat greens, Edwin wetting the bed, and Derek and his refusal to walk past a pretty girl without taking her phone number, George began to talk about his children. And because it was, being honest again, his favourite topic, he began to relax.

"Well, there's Derek. He's fourteen, cheeky, conniving, totally hockey, food and girl focussed." He smirked. Nora grinned.

"Then there's Edwin, who is nine and a little business brain. He idolises Derek and Derek manipulates him. Edwin earns the money, Derek spends it."

Nora chuckled.

"And then there's Martha, Marti or Smarti, as Derek calls her. She's four going on forty but completely bizarre and I'm seriously considering demanding a DNA test because I doubt very much there is any of Abby in her at all."

Nora laughed. George's eyes were full of fun as he talked about his kids. And, that hooked Nora even further in.

"They are my world."

She could have kissed him right there and then.

"And what about your girls?" he asked when he could trust his own voice again.

Nora took a deep breath.

"Well there's Cassandra….Casey. She's just fourteen and _so_ pretty. Well, if you ignore the braces and the spots and the post-puberty awkwardness. But she's so intelligent and 'full of life'." He frowned as Nora made the air quotes. "She's a bit of a drama queen." Nora elaborated.

George laughed.

"Casey's big love in life is dance. She's always dancing. And she has a dancer's grace. I worry about what it will be like in a couple of years when she discovers boys and they discover her. She's at an all-girl school at the moment and is a bit sheltered."

George nodded. It was probably a good job Casey was, by the sounds of it, unattractive. Derek would make mincemeat of her otherwise.

"And there's my baby, Lizzie. She's the same age as Edwin and a total tomboy. She's really into soccer." Her eyes sparkled as she talked about her children and he found himself drifting into their depths.

"Are they both as beautiful as their mother?" He blurted. Then sat back in embarrassment.

"Sorry. That just sort of slipped out."

She blushed and then to his relief smiled gently. "S'ok. It's been a while since anyone has said anything so…"

"…forward?" He said, kicking himself repeatedly under the table.

"I was going to say, 'nice'." She said reassuringly. There was a silence as their eyes met and they both knew this wouldn't be their last date.

At some point, they ate the meal, drank the beer. But neither of them noticed. The coffee came and went, and George was vaguely aware that the restaurant was emptying. And still they talked.

Eventually, reluctantly, Nora said. "I really need to get going. I have to get a taxi." He nodded.

"Can I drive you home?"

"I think… Perhaps not. It's not I don't trust you. It's just that if my daughter finds out that I accepted a lift home from you I'll never hear the last of it."

George smiled. Someone else whose children had completely taken over their lives.

"Nora. I really want to see you again."

He felt embarrassed sounding so desperate – well to his ears anyway.

She flushed. "That would be…nice."

"Tomorrow?" He said urgently. Nora giggled.

"Tomorrow would be perfect."

And then he walked her to the taxi rank and made her promise to text him the moment she was home safely.

He was driving the long journey back to London when the text hit his cell phone. He pulled over into a convenient rest stop, impatient to see what she had put.

**I'm home. I had a really nice time tonight. Thank you. Can't wait until tomorrow. NoraX**

He wasn't good at texting, but he managed.

**Me too. GeorgeX**

**Author's Note:**

*Sorry Ashley!


	2. Can't Wait To Meet The Daughter!

_Okay. Another new thing to add to the GeorgeList. (Probably one of the rare Cons) He's useless at giving directions._

Nora was nervous and lost. She didn't know the suburbs of London, although thanks to a couple of dates where she had made the journey instead of George, she was starting to get to know the centre of town. And now she was driving round and round the block on a street with no sign post and houses with no numbers or names, trying to find George's house.

Fortunately, it was still daylight and there were people around. Well, one at least; a small, dark haired girl with beautifully dark skin and an unfortunately obvious set of dental braces. Nora hated stopping to ask a young girl directions but she was desperate. She wound down her window and noticed the girl came really close to the van. Casey would never do that. She had had it drilled into her far too many times about stranger danger.

"I'm looking for the Venturi residence." She called.

"Derek's house?" The girl said, her face suddenly springing into life.

Nora smiled. "Yeah. Derek's house."

The girl beamed. "Well that's next door to me. Three doors down on the left. You can't miss it. The Prince is parked outside."

"The Prince?"

"Derek's dad's car."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." The girl looked liked she wanted to keep on talking but, Nora was late enough as it was and the girl's mother wouldn't want her talking to strange people in vans. Well, she hoped the girl's mother would care. It might be daylight, but it was actually quite late for a girl of fourteen to be out.

She parked the van and walked up the path to the door of George's house. It was undoubtedly a family home. She rang the doorbell.

When George opened it, she completely forgot about the traffic on the way there, the bad directions, and the slight concern she had had over the girl next door. She lost herself in his eyes.

"Hi." He said, smirking.

"Hi yourself." She grinned.

"You'd better come in."

"Sure."

She took the step into the house and found herself in a large open plan space – and complete bedlam. She could tell he had probably made an effort to clean up, things were stacked in piles rather than strewn across the floor, and she could smell furniture polish, although she wasn't sure if any had made it to the furniture, as there was no visible surface to check out her theory.

"Sorry. The place is a bit of a madhouse most of the time, I tried, but to be honest I think bulldozing it would be more effective."

She smiled. It was endearing. He needed a good shake and the ministrations of a good woman. Or at least the number of a good domestic.

He pulled her into a deep kiss and she forgot the mess – and her mind for a while.

"Where are the children?" she asked when they broke apart.

"The youngest two are staying with Abby's parents, and Derek is staying over night at a friend's. And your two?"

"Staying with my sister. She has a daughter slightly older than Casey."

"Great. So…"

And then the nerves hit them both. The trouble with dating a fellow parent is that crossing that _oh so important_ hurdle of first sleepover involved organisation of military precision and not a lot of spontaneity. Even Casey had worked out what was on the cards as she watched her mother shaving her legs.

"_So…we go to stay with Vicky. You have yet another date with George, for which you are shaving your legs…Oh my god. You're going to have SEX!"_

"_Shh. Casey, keep it down." _

"_Mom!"_

"_Okay. Yes. That is the…erm…plan."_

"_Plan?"_

"_Yes. You know. You like planning."_

"_Not that sort of planning. Talking of planning, have you got some condoms?" Casey had settled into parent mode._

"_Yes. Thank you, Cassandra. I think that is enough."_

"_Just be careful."_

"_Thank you, sweetie I will."_

_And that was when Casey started to realise that George wasn't going away any time soon._

Nora felt like a naughty school girl all over again. But not the sort of naughty school girl that George would probably like.

"I'm not going to lie to you. I can't cook. If I cooked you dinner tonight, you'd end up with food poisoning and run back to Toronto vowing never to see me again, so I suggest take-out. Is that okay?" He was still holding her by the waist.

"Take out is fine."

"Chinese?" He asked kissing her neck.

"Sounds good."

He ordered with the phone in the crook of his neck, while he opened a bottle of wine and smirked at her. She was falling in love with that smirk. Nora found herself forgetting her nerves and remembering the last two months worth of dates instead. She crossed the short distance to him and slipped her hands around his waist. He proved that occasionally men _can _multitask as he poured the wine, completed the order and kissed the woman that was rapidly becoming the second most important thing in his life – after the children of course.

Mouth and hands free when his tasks were completed. He kissed her again. This was unrestricted kissing, because there was no curfew tonight.

"There's a bit of a delay with the food". He murmured, his hand brushing her breast through her clothes. "It'll be about an hour."

Nora found a confidence from the depths of her college years and tilted her head to one side. "Well then. Let's take that bottle upstairs and let's see if you can tick a few more boxes on my _ideal man_ profile."

George's smirk grew, as did the fire in his eyes and a few other parts of his anatomy. "Hey I can definitely tick boxes." As he led her upstairs, wine and two glasses in his other hand, Nora reflected that the spontaneity hadn't been entirely lost. You just had to dig deep to find it.

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She had packed a nightshirt, but wearing an old button up of George's was more…fun. He concurred with that. Especially since he knew there was nothing underneath it. He knew, because he had watched her put it on – he'd then taken it off her again and they had wasted another forty five minutes exploring the things they had in common –and the bits they didn't. And he had watched her put it back on, insisting that it was time for breakfast and that if she didn't get up and get ready now, then her sister would never babysit again.

Nora was currently standing in his kitchen in nothing more than one of his old shirts looking like she had spent all night being ravaged (which in fairness was pretty close to the truth) and he loved it. She looked hot and so sexy and right now…so _his_. He was wearing boxers and running bottoms because his body just wouldn't behave and he was worried that Nora might start to think he was perverted or something if he walked around with a raging hard-on. It was best if she couldn't see that was the case when she was around.

So it was a good job they were both reasonably covered because then the back door banged and a tall boy with dark, copper-toned hair walked in.

"Hi Dad! Hi Nora!" He said and carried on into the living room.

"Jesus Derek! Can't you knock!" Nora looked up at George in surprise. It was the loudest she had ever heard him speak, but there was no malice there, only embarrassment at being caught with his _lover (!!!)_ during a post-coital breakfast.

Derek turned abruptly on his toes and walked back into the kitchen.

"You said 9.30. It's 10.15. I didn't think I needed to knock."

"10.15????!" Nora dropped her spoon in shock. "Oh my god! Casey's recital is in two and a half hours I have to get back."

"Who's Casey?" Derek flicked his eyes to his dad's girlfriend. "My daughter."

Derek's eyes switched to his father, eyebrows raised.

George shook his head. "Never mind, Derek."

Nora came over to George. "I need to go. Can I grab a quick shower?"

"Sure. You know where the bathroom is."

She left the room.

George could feel Derek's eyes burning a hole in his back.

"Niiiiice Dad. Glad to see the ol' Venturi charm still works its magic in old age. Nora's rather hot. For an oldie."  
And that got George on his weak side. "She is, isn't she?" He shook himself. "And less of the old."

Derek smirked his own version of his father's smirk, although it was difficult to tell which was more attractive.

"All I can say is Dad, if that's the mother, I can't _wait_ to see the daughter."


	3. Tin Cans And Duct Tape

"Casey was asking about you again." Nora said, trying to ignore the finger which was wandering up and down her naked spine.

"Oh?"

"I think she sees herself as a sort of _loco parentis_. It might set her mind at rest if she met you."

George chuckled. "Well I suppose since Derek has already met you, it does seem only fair. And we have been dating for six months."

Nora sat up.

"You really think we should let them meet?"

"What? Casey and Derek?" George frowned. "No. Not yet." _I really don't want to jeopardise this. _

Nora breathed an inward sigh of relief. She had her own thoughts on how successful Derek and Casey meeting would be.

"But there's no reason why Casey and the younger kids shouldn't meet. Derek's going to visit his mother in two weeks time, why don't the rest of us meet somewhere halfway between Toronto and London?"

"We could have a picnic at a park or something."

They both got caught up in the excitement and plans were made.

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The park was busy. But they still managed to find each other. Nora crossed the grass trailing two slightly reluctant daughters. George was carrying Marti and Edwin looked like he was off to the dentist.

"George. This is Casey and this is Lizzie." Nora said, feeling like she was introducing her children to a maiden aunt.

"And Nora. This is Edwin and this is Marti."

They all stood in silence in the middle of an enormous park with slides and swings."

"I thought there was another one?" Casey said. Nora flinched at her rudeness. It was uncharacteristic.

"Derek is on vacation with his mom." George answered for her. The silence resumed.

"Do you play soccer?" Lizzie asked Edwin. He shook his head. "No but I do a mean magic trick. Do you want to see?"

Lizzie hesitated and then nodded. They ran off to a picnic bench several metres away leaving the four remaining people staring at each other.

"Do you like the colour purple?" A little voice piped up. Casey looked down at the little girl who was tugging her skirt.

"Yes. But my favourite is pink."

"Really? Can you push me on the swing?"

"Sure." Said Casey pulling herself away from the contemplation of her mother's boyfriend.

And after that, things were okay.

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"So…what do you think?" Nora nervously asked her daughter on the journey home.

"Marti is _weird_."

"I warned you."

"Edwin is….Edwin." _Yes._ Thought Nora. _He is rather unique._

"And George?" Nora was biting her nails. Casey took pity on her.

"George worships the ground you walk on. You chose well there mom."

And Nora cried with relief.

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Another two weeks, and Nora took Lizzie to London. Derek was under house arrest and George had deflated the tyres on his bike and hidden every pair of shoes Derek possessed in case he was tempted to disappear.

"So…Derek. This is Nora's daughter, Lizzie."

"I thought she was supposed to be older. No offence, squirt."

"None taken. You mean Casey. She's at a ballet recital."

"Another one? Didn't she have one of those the last time I saw you?" He asked Nora. She blushed at the memory of Derek walking in on her in just a shirt.

"Recitals are like hockey games, Derek. If you do it well you get picked for them a lot." George was frazzled. Nora could tell by the way he was running his hand through his hair.

"So…what is it with this _ballet_?" Derek said it with a faux French accent.

Edwin looked up from the couch where he was watching TV.

"D. Girls…leotards…tights." Edwin said it as though it was a no-brainer.

"Yeah. I get _that_. What's in it for the girls?" He looked confused.

"So. Who wants pizza?" Nora announced and George was grateful for the interruption.

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Back home in Toronto. Two sisters. One topic.

"How did it go?" Casey asked Lizzie. Nora was trying not to listen in, but _hell_ this was her happiness, dammit!

"It was okay. I beat Edwin at Babe Raider."

"Babe Raider?"

"Computer console game they have. It was pretty cool."

"And Derek?"

"You won't like him."

"Oh? How can you be so sure?"

"I'm your sister. It's a sister's job to know these things."

"And you know I won't like Derek?"

"Well…not much. He'll irritate the pants off you."

"Lizzie! Where did you learn expressions like that?"

"Edwin. It's what he said to me about Derek and you."

"Oh."

"And I agree."

Nora flung herself back against the wall, listening forgotten as the double entendre hit her. It appeared that Edwin might have a point, but probably not the one that he had meant.

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The supermarket.

"So. If Casey and Derek meet…" George began. "What do you think they'll make of each other?"

"Eeek!" Nora dropped the can of tomatoes she was holding. It rolled across the aisle and she was forced to chase it. A couple of old ladies and a shop assistant further down the aisle looked up to see what the noise was.

"That bad huh?" George grinned. Nora straightened up and came back to the cart.

"Well…It would probably go one of three ways. The good way…"

"Which is?"

"Where they get on like nice normal people and treat each other as pseudo brother and sister."

"The bad way?"

"Well, that's where they don't get on at all and fight like cat and dog. But there's also the ugly way."

"Oh?"

"Where your son makes a play for my daughter and she reciprocates."

"Oh Fuck. I never thought of that."

Nora sighed as she put the now dented can in the cart. "You know. It might be that they never need to meet…"

"And what about when we get married?" George said without thinking.

Nora dropped a can of sweetcorn this time.

"_Married?!_" She squeaked.

George realised that he had just spoken his private thoughts out loud.

"Yeah…well. Things seem to be …you know…good between us…and I …erm just thought that maybe one day…we might actually get round to…getting married."

Nora was staring at him. "Aw Georgie…do you mean that?"

"I'm a lawyer, Nora. I'm not in the habit of committing to things without meaning them."

"Committing…You know you need to watch yourself because the wrong person could take your sentences and interpret them the wrong way."

"Or the right person could take them and interpret them the right way…" He said suddenly emboldened by her enthusiasm over the idea of marriage.

Okay so it was crazy, and impulsive, but George had an impulsive streak the width of a highway.

He knelt down in the middle of the Canned Goods aisle.

"Nora. I came with a lot of baggage, and a broken heart, but you are the only one who managed to duck tape it back together again. Please…please will you marry me?"

The shop assistant who was now standing near by reached out and snatched the glass olive oil bottle from Nora's hand just in time. Nora didn't even notice as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I guess I am."

Nora stood for an eternity staring at him. There were a hundred reasons why she should say no; Casey and Lizzie being the two most important. Nora knew, however, that the travelling situation could not continue and she wasn't going to give up this new found love easily. She also knew that her children loved her, and trusted her to make the right decision. And somehow she just knew that George was the future.

"Yes." she said.

And the now crowded Canned Goods Aisle cheered.

"Georgie." Nora said against his lips as the shoppers clapped. "Did you really just ask me to marry you using the words 'duct tape'?"


	4. Reality Check

After the euphoria, came the reality check.

How the hell could they do this?

They sat in the car park at the supermarket, the trunk loaded with groceries.

"I'll have to move to London." Nora said. "There's no way you'll all fit in our apartment, and you can't move your job."  
"But what about your job? We can't exist on one salary. That's seven mouths to feed."

"Well I'll just have to move my business. A lot of my clients are out this way anyway. Of course the girls will have to change schools. I don't suppose there's a private girls' school near you. What's the local high school like?"

"Adequate. Derek is underachieving, but that's more to do with Derek than anything else. Oh…hell!" George rested his head on the steering wheel.

"What?"

"Derek and Casey would be in the same school year."

Nora looked thoughtful, then horror crossed her face.

"Never mind that! Derek and Casey would be in the same house!"

There was silence for a while.

George sighed. "Why is life not simple? Why can I not just pick the person I want to marry and do it?"

Nora smiled sadly at him. "I don't know. Maybe this is a bad idea."

"You don't love me?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Georgie. Of course I do. I've never felt like this about anyone else, including Dennis. It's just that I love my children and I'm scared of screwing up their future."

"How can creating a loving home for them be screwing up their future?"

"If it was just Lizzie and your three or my two and your two youngest, then I would be so much happier. But Casey and Derek? They are such different characters and so close in age."

"So are Lizzie and Edwin."

"But they are similar characters. They get on."

"Casey and Derek have never met. Maybe they will get on."

Nora snorted. "That's part of what I'm afraid of. I'd rather not be a grandma before I'm forty."

George grinned. "Maybe they'll get on purely as brother and sister."

"And how will we know they aren't sneaking around behind our backs?"

"So what sort of relationship do you want them to have?"  
"Maybe the fighting one is the best thing all round."  
George sniggered. "Can you imagine, those two arguing?"

"Yeah. I lived through the Cold War, remember?"

Nora sighed. "George. Let's be realistic. Okay. This can only work if my daughters agree to it."

"Are you changing your _mind!_?"

"No…yes…okay. Let's just say I agree with your proposal in principle, but, until I can get my kids to agree…my answer is just a 'maybe'."

"MAYBE???? You mean I went through all that grocery aisle business for a MAYBE?!"

"George. Please understand. I'm asking my children to give up their lives so that I can be with you. If they aren't happy with that…."

"Don't continue that sentence."

"I'm sorry. But we need to get Casey and Lizzie's acceptance first."

"Okay. Work on them. _Please!_"

"I will."

"Nora?"

"Georgie?"

"Can I at least buy you a ring?

Nora approached Casey's room with trepidation. Her final conversation with George replaying in her mind.

"_How do you think she'll take it?"_

"_Difficult to say with Casey. She is quite contemplative, but for something this emotional, I'd say plenty of tears and a long speech would probably be close to the mark."_

"_Well, good luck. And remember. We're in this together."_

"_I wouldn't have it any other way."_

"Hi Mom!" Casey greeted her. She was lying on her bed writing poetry. Nora found it slightly pretentious, but Casey went to an elite school where girls did that sort of thing and to be honest, Nora had written (bad) poetry herself as a teenager.

"Hi Sweetie. Poetry?" She stroked Casey's hair. It was an instinctive, affectionate action and Casey leaned into her hand, unconsciously as though she had been expecting it.

"Yeah. Rosalie wrote a lovely poem about butterflies for English today. It inspired me."  
Nora half-cringed. She was all for encouraging creative writing and the arts, but she wondered how much of a life skill, being able to write insect poetry was really going to give Casey.

"Great. Casey, we need to talk."

"Sure Mom. One sec....Okay. Done." Casey scribbled something quickly and laid down her book. She looked up at her mom…and her heart sank.

Casey McDonald was anything but stupid. And her mother might worry about her sheltered school life being inadequate preparation for life. But Casey had already been through divorce and, prior to that, two years of living under the same roof as two parents who were rapidly falling out of love with each other. She also, on occasions watched Oprah. She wasn't as clueless as she looked.

Besides, she had seen how dating George had changed her mom. And it had only been a matter of time.

"He's proposed hasn't he?"

"Yes sweetie he has."

"What did he say when you said 'no'?"

Nora grimaced. Casey's jaw dropped. "Please tell me you didn't say 'yes'."

"No. I didn't…I said…'maybe'"

"What?! Mom! Are you crazy? You can't marry George. He has too many kids!"

Nora frowned.

Casey shrugged. "It's as good a reason as any."  
"Casey. George and I love each other. We want to make a life together. We want our families to be happy…together."

"So are they going to move to Toronto?" Casey already knew the answer. Nora looked away. "No…I didn't think so. How am I supposed to keep going to school?"

"Well, obviously you'll have to transfer to a school in London."

"Are there any private girls' schools in London?"

Nora sighed. "Casey. For a while, until I build my business up in London, money is going to be tight. And even with your dad's contribution, school fees are not really an option. To be honest with you, I was looking at changing schools soon anyway."

"What? You can't Mom! I love my school I have friends there. The library is like a second home."

"Well, I'm sorry Casey, but I need you to seriously think about moving to London, because I really want to say yes to George."

"Can I go and live with Dad?"

Nora looked irritated. "What happened to…'I love my school?'"

"Mom. Toronto is home. It's a school I love, friends I care about, places I grew up in. London is a third class school, a place where I know no-one and I'll have to live with two teenage _boys_. One of whom can't even be bothered to meet me."

Nora bit her lip. _Actually it was one of whom was desperate to meet you, it's us that are stalling._

"I can't do it Mom. I'm not moving." Casey folded her arms obstinately.

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"So…honey….how did it go?"

Nora burst into tears.

"Okay. That answers that one. Does that mean the answer's…no?"

Nora looked up, sniffing and wiping her face with the back of her hand. "No…I'm not giving up yet. I'll talk her round somehow."

He sat beside her and took her hand, then brushed the remainder of the tears from her cheeks.

"Are you sure you want to?" He asked softly. George was scared to ask the question, but it needed asking.

"Yeah. Positive."

They stared at each other, losing themselves for a while.

"Good." He said, breaking the silence. "Because I bought the ring."

Nora's eyes lit up. "Gimme gimme gimme." She said in a jokey tone of voice.

George laughed. "Uh uh. I need a reward first."

"Oh?" Nora looked at him slyly.

"Yeah. Something good."

"How about an early night?"

He pulled the ring box out and threw it gently into her lap. "Okay. It's yours."

They both laughed.

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Nora lifted her head from his bare chest.

"So. You didn't tell me how it went telling Derek."

George shrugged.

"Easily." He smirked. "Of course it will get harder later on when he realises he's not as clever as he thinks he is, but for now there's no resistance."

"Oh?"

"Let me tell you how it went."

"_Der-ek! Get your butt down here we need to talk!"_

"_I'm on the ph-one George." Derek sing-songed._

_George, frustrated that his son couldn't obey him for once picked up the downstairs extension._

"_Hi. This is Derek's father. I just thought you should know that you are in fact the fourth girl he's phoned this evening already and I know he has plans to phone three more before bed."_

_Click!_

_There was a thump as Derek threw himself off the bed and stomped downstairs._

"_How about I tell Nora that you're sleeping with your secretary?" Derek said, leaning against the kitchen door frame._

"_Derek you really need to pay attention to someone other than yourself. Firstly, I'm a community lawyer; there isn't the money for a secretary. Secondly, Nora has met you, experienced the obscure way that your mind works and would never believe you in a thousand years and thirdly SIT DOWN I have something to tell you."_

_He watched as his eldest child, slumped onto a bar stool and leant on the island in the middle of the kitchen._

"_I'm getting married."_

_Derek's eyes met his father's. George tried to work out what Derek was thinking, and failed. There was a tumbleweed silence and then Derek laughed. It was a silly laugh, a dramatic, flaying arms laugh. Then his face became serious._

"_It won't happen."_

_George wasn't deflected._

"_And you know this because?"_

"_Edwin's told me about Casey. I know girls and I know the type, and I've met Nora. I bet you Casey won't be too thrilled and Nora won't be able to persuade her otherwise."_

"_Derek. I've bought Nora a ring. We are getting married."_

"_Hmmm. Over Casey's dead body."_

"_Okay, so maybe Nora has said it is only a 'maybe'…" Derek smirked. "But, smart alec. Don't hold your breath. I will get her to marry me."_

"_Care for a little wager on that one, George?"_

"_Yes actually I would. C$100 suit you?"_

"_Fine." Derek said and crossed to the fridge in the eternal quest to fill his stomach. "Don't worry, dad, I'm sure she'll still come for sleepovers."_

"_Der-ek!"_

Actually, George only told Nora the bit up to 'I've bought a ring.' He didn't think she needed to know the rest.

"You have a slightly high expectation of my powers of persuasion, Georgie. I probably won't be able to persuade her."

"Yes you will. And in the mean time I've an idea how you can get her to at least consider the move here. Let her look around the school…"  
"She won't do it. She'll refuse to get in the car."

"Tell her you're taking her to the dentist or something."


	5. Operation Disengagement The Debrief

**Outside Smelly Nellies – after a very tense and trying day.**

"Do you think we've left it long enough, yet?"

"No. A few more minutes."

"George. My feet are cold and I'm so nervous I could throw up. Can we please go inside?"

"Look. They need to sort this out themselves. If we go in too early we might mess this up. They need to get over the awkwardness and then Derek needs to find something he likes about Casey and then he'll turn on the charm."

Nora raised her eyebrows and ran for the door of the restaurant. George chased after her and held her back.

"What?" He asked.

"You want _your son_ to lay on the charm with _my daughter_? Come on George. This is _Derek_ we're talking about."

"Nora. He's fifteen. He's hardly going to whisk her off to a hotel and destroy her innocence."

She looked questioningly at him. George sighed.

"Nora. I know I look as though I let him get away with murder, but I don't. He and I do have rules. The thing with Derek is he has this ridiculous reputation. He stokes it, but the reality is something different. Derek is careful with girls. While he may chase them and quite often catch a few, he actually behaves himself around them. We've had the sex talk. He knows my position on it. And I know his."

Nora still looked disbelieving.

George relented. "Okay. I'll tell the truth. Abby put the fear of god into him last year. She is remarkably good at reading Derek and if he so much as puts a coin in a condom vending machine, she'll be on the first plane back from Spain – and he knows it. And believe you and me, you do not want to be on the receiving end of an Abby vent. Derek is scared of her."

He put an arm around Nora. "Casey is safe in there."

Nora grinned suddenly. "Yeah…but is Derek?"

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**An hour, one failed coup, and an engagement later…**

George reflected on the whole restaurant debacle as he drove. When Nora had returned his ring, he had thought that his world was ending. The truly sad thing was that he could see that it wasn't what Nora wanted, just a decision motivated by love for her daughter. And, feeling the way he did about his own children, he couldn't fault her for that. So he had accepted it, and offered to drive them back to their hotel.

And then Casey had spoken up.

Up until that point, he had found it difficult to form an opinion of Casey – or at least, one which did Nora's daughter justice. In the same way as Derek, Casey had, so far, behaved like a selfish teenager. Which in some ways she was – and actually, George couldn't blame her. But when she spoke up as her conscience got her…then he started to understand what Nora had meant about Casey's intelligence and good nature, and that Casey was only behaving like any teenager in an impossible situation. To speak up the way she did took character. He was proud of her.

He was even more proud of her – and dumbfounded when Casey's stance made Derek change his tune. George knew Derek was capable of love and loyalty, but he was reluctant to show it. If this girl brought his softer side out of him, George was looking forward to Casey living under his roof.

"Come on you two. Cheer up." George looked in the mirror at the two teens in the back of the car. "It's not the end of the world." They were driving Casey and Nora to the hotel they were staying in.

Derek glared at his father in the mirror and then rolled his eyes at Casey, she smiled wryly back. He briefly wondered what she would look like without the retainer, and with better dress sense. She had a good body, and he had rather enjoyed sparring with her earlier.

Then he remembered that she had just cost him C$100 and he turned his head to scowl out of the window.

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"Thank you." Nora said to Casey as they got ready for bed.

"I'm too sentimental for my own good." She muttered.

Nora chuckled. "Yes. Sweetie, you are. And I love you for it."

"It's a big sacrifice for me Mom."

"I know."

"I probably won't handle it very well. I may act up."  
"Sok, hun. I'm prepared."

"I might need a bit of bribery."

"How about I take you and Lizzie shopping tomorrow for some new clothes? We can go right after your orthodontist appointment."

"Sounds good."  
"So…Derek…?" Nora asked.

"Arrogant, irritating, ignorant, obnoxious, gluttonous…did I miss anything?"

"Casey…he was also sweet at the end. Uncharacteristically so."

"And there in lies the point. Nice behaviour is uncharacteristic for him. Come on Mom, he's a jerk."

"He's not that bad Casey. I know him slightly better than you. He loves his father very much."

"Who can fail to love George, he's a nice guy. His son, however…"

"Well, he's your step-brother…or rather he soon will be. So get used to him. Maybe he'll grow on you."

"You can have warts frozen off these days. I wonder if they do a similar service for Step-brothers."

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Later, when her mom was sound asleep dreaming of 'wedding outfits for the mature lady', Casey tossed and turned. But every time she tried to close her eyes and drift off herself a pair of chocolate brown eyes and a cheeky smirk floated up in front of her face. Eventually, she told herself it was a completely normal reaction to seeing a guy of her own age and having to make small talk with him. The perils of single-sex schools. It didn't prepare you for people like Derek.

Her annoying step-brother.

The bane of her existence.

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George knocked once on Derek's bedroom door. He walked in, stopped by the bed where his son was stretched out and held out a hand.

Derek smacked five twenty dollar bills into it with a grimace. George smiled.

"Thank you." He said. "Nice doing business with you, Derek."

As he left, he grinned a George smirk.

Today was probably one of the happiest days of his life. He had become an engaged man – with a truly beautiful fiancée. But more importantly…he had got one over on Derek.

**Author's Note:**

I'm sorry if anyone is disappointed that I didn't go into detail on the whole "How I met your stepbrother" business. But if you watch the episode, there aren't actually that many occasions where George and Nora get to talk to each other. (And certainly not ones where it would add much to the story.) So I concentrated on the conversation they must have had before turning up at Smelly Nellies and their thoughts afterwards.

This fic is supposed to be George and Nora, but obviously there will be times where I want to delve into what other characters are thinking, so I will either do it as above where I've explained what Casey and Derek were thinking while George or Nora was looking at them, or I will add a flashback during a conversation with George or Nora. I hope that doesn't make things too confusing.


	6. The Wedding

"What do you think?" Nora asked Casey, stepping back from the mirror. Casey caught her breath; her mother looking amazing in her smart wedding suit and _so_ happy. A wave of guilt settled over the daughter once again as she remembered how she had come so close to stopping this happiness.

"You look too beautiful for words, Mom. I'm so proud of you."

And then they were both in tears. Lizzie watched from the corner of the room and rolled her eyes, thanking the heavens for waterproof mascara. Nora held out her hand to her younger daughter and the three of them moved together for a group hug.

"You two look beautiful too."

And Nora was right. Since Operation Disengagement, several things had happened. Casey had been to the orthodontist and been released from the confines of her retainer for the last time. And as a 'thank you' to both girls for understanding about the wedding and moving house, Nora had taken both girls for the shopping trip of their lives – and new haircuts.

Somewhere in the weeks that followed Derek's acceptance of Casey's proposal (on their parents' behalf – of course), Casey McDonald had shed some of the puberty awkwardness, and the promise of a stunning young woman had been revealed. And of course, today – being Nora's wedding day – both daughters had new clothes. Lizzie had been forced into a skirt and Casey had picked a dark blue shift dress for herself; her hair had been twisted into a French pleat.

"We should go down now." Casey said to her mom who looked suddenly nervous.

"Am I doing the right thing?" Nora asked.

"Absolutely!" Both girls cried. And the three of them, grabbing clutch bags, made their way from the hotel room.

They had got a good deal on a decent hotel for a change, so it was stylish and not the normal motel feel. It also meant there was a sweeping staircase down into reception. The three girls paused at the top of the main flight and looked down to see if they could spot the Venturis.

"There they are!" Lizzie said and the other two women followed her pointed finger.

Nora's first thought was that there must have been some serious neck scrubbing going on in the Venturi household this morning, because they had all cleaned up remarkably well. The three males were in matching dark lounge suits, and Marti was in a very frilly, very pretty purple dress. None of them had spotted the girls. Nora gazed at her husband-to-be and _knew_ she was doing the right thing.

She had turned her attention to her step-children when Marti spotted them with a shout. Nora was looking at Derek when he saw Casey for the first time since Smelly Nelly's.

He looked up and smiled at Nora and Lizzie, but Casey was slightly behind her mother and sister fussing with a light organza wrap. When he turned his eyes to his new and eldest step-sister, he frowned, his eyes widened, softened and then Nora saw a definite emotion in his eyes. _Blind Panic_. She could have sworn she saw him swallow hard – even though he was still some distance from her. His eyes flicked to his step-mother's as if sensing she was watching him. He looked pleadingly at her for a brief second before he flicked his desperate gaze back to Casey.

His eyes hardened, his body tensed and as she took the last step down the stairs, he stuck his foot out so that she stumbled.

"Jeez woman, can't you even do stairs?"

"Der-ek!"

Nora couldn't bring herself to tell him off; because she understood why he had done it. And she could see how life with Derek was going to be.

And part of her felt very sorry for him.

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The wedding was quiet, just the new family and a couple of George's colleagues as witnesses. They hadn't wanted the rest of the extended family to come because Nora's sister had a tendency to offer her opinion too much. George's own brother had just got a new car and moved house whereas George still hadn't got around to replacing the prince…and of course, George's home was now going to be stuffed to bursting.

It was a nice wedding, as second weddings go. Derek preferred it to all the girly stuff you get at traditional weddings. However, he would have liked to be able to avoid Casey a bit more. His only consoling factor was that however unbelievably gorgeous she looked, when she opened her mouth, she sounded just like his old partner from Operation Disengagement. And so long as he kept annoying the hell out of her and getting her to shout at him, the fact that she was having such a disastrous effect on his anatomy would not announce itself to his mind. He decided this would probably be the best policy from now on.

The moment Casey's mom became his step-mom, he looked everywhere except at Casey. He might have gained a step-mom, but under no circumstances had he gained _two _sisters.

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And afterwards the 'small' wedding party went to a restaurant nearby. George greeted his new daughters with a kiss each.

"Wow Casey! You look amazing!" He grinned at her. "Doesn't she Derek?"

Derek pretended not to hear his father. Nora was sure he had though.

"Sorry Dad?" he said when his father slapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"I said, doesn't Casey look beautiful?"

"I suppose…if you like the 'stuck-up librarian' look. I always think it makes women look like they've had a bad face lift."

"Der-ek!" His father reprimanded as Casey's body tensed at the insult.

"It's okay, George. In a sad kind of way, It's rather a compliment coming from Derek. I should imagine the girls he dates wouldn't even know what a library is."

Derek had to turn his head away so she didn't see the genuine smile at that retort. _Well done Case. Nice to see you're on board and raring to go. You were right about the girls as well._

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	7. The Wedding Night

The problem with hotel rooms is they are always too light or too dark. And they are never your own bed. Of course, Nora's own bed wouldn't be her normal bed any more. Her home would change after today. And so would that of her children. It was those facts which kept her awake tonight; tonight of all nights.

Or at least, that was what she was telling herself.

She was almost positive it wasn't the look she had seen George's son give her daughter that was stopping her from sleeping on her wedding night; even though it had been a look of conflicted admiration closely followed by a look of hardened resolution. Tonight, the evening of the day when she and George had joined their two families together as one, and two short days before they would all join together under one roof, she would not worry about being a grandmother before she was forty. Casey was after all a serious and sensible young lady…who really couldn't help her appalling taste in boys. Nora cringed as she remembered the whole Stafford unrequited crush (really who calls their son, Stafford?) or that other _incident_ with Vicky and the 'uni-brow' boy (funny how she couldn't remember his name).

Uni-brow boy did her a favour however, because she was now so busy chuckling to herself over how she could remember his facial features more than his name, that she forgot the Derek and Casey situation long enough to fall asleep.

But sleep brought dreams. Derek and Casey dreams.

"_So come on Casey, it's only two weeks until Senior Prom. Are you going to tell me who you are going with or do I have to wheedle it out of you?" Dream Nora asked Dream Casey. Dream Casey blushed._

"_Mom. Don't get protective of me. I don't see what the big idea about Prom is anyway. I'm thinking about going on my own."_

"_Yeah. I'm sure there will be someone else's cast-off who's too drunk to care who he dances with." Dream Derek walked into the kitchen and made straight for the fridge as he spoke. Casey rounded on him._

"_Well at least I'm going to our prom. Unlike 'Mr I'm-too-cool-to-take-someone'."_

"_Casey, Casey, Casey. I've told you before. If I went to senior prom with a date it would raise her above the status of the whole school. She would be the envy of every girl who ever looked twice at me. Now I ask you, is that fair on the girl or the school. Of course not. So I'm not going."_

"_It makes you look like you couldn't get a date!" Casey sing-songed._

"_Does not."_

"_Does too."_

"_Does n…."_

"_Okay, Okay. I'm sorry I asked." Dream Nora said. Derek smirked to himself as he took a large packet of potato chips out of the cupboard and headed up to his room._

_A few minutes later, Casey was standing in Derek's doorway. Arms folded across her body._

"_What was that in aide of?" She asked. "I'm only good enough for 'someone else's cast-off who's too drunk to care'?"_

_Derek said nothing. Casey moved over to the bed where he was stretched out, slamming the door shut behind her in preparation for a loud argument. She didn't actually care if the family heard they were arguing, but she didn't want them to hear the words._

"_Derek. Answer me, dammit."_

_He still ignored her so she stood close to the bed looming over him like an avenging angel._

"_Der-ek!"_

_He grabbed her, pulled her down onto the bed and rolled on top of her._

"_You're beautiful when you're angry."_

"_And you are an obnoxious jerk!"_

_He smirked at her. "Yup. But I'm an obnoxious jerk with two prom tickets and a tux on hire."_

_Casey's face softened. "Oh. And who were you planning on taking?"_

"_I was planning on taking my keener girlfriend but, she seems determined to go it alone."_

"_I'm sure she could be persuaded otherwise."_

"_Really?" Derek said, kissing Casey's neck. "What do you think it will take to persuade her? An apology for putting her down in front of her mother?"_

"_That would be a start."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Then there is the fact you waited so long to ask her. That was inexcusable."_

"_So some major sucking up then…" He said, his dream fingers reaching for her dream buttons._

"_Hmmm. More than usual. I think a decent meal out."_

"_That can be arranged. Tomorrow night?"_

"_She'll consider it." Dream Derek got off the bed moved to the door and locked it._

"_And what would she like now?" he asked as he climbed back into the bed and rolled close to her again._

"_Some attention."_

"_Any particular area?" He asked with a dream smirk._

_Dream Casey smiled seductively. "You choose. I'm easy."_

"_Oh I wouldn't say you were easy." He said sliding a hand under her skirt. "Challenging, frustrating, infuriating maybe, hot as hell, definitely."_

"_You seem certain of that." She murmured as his hand moved northwards._

"_Yup. There's something else I'm certain of too."_

"_Oooo…I mean… oh?" She asked distractedly as his fingers reached their destination._

"_Entirely mine." He grinned and lowered his mouth to hers._

The real Nora sat bolt upright in bed in a cold sweat.

"George." She hissed; although come to think of it, she wasn't exactly sure why she was whispering.

"Hmm?"

"I've had a bad dream."

George frowned in his sleep. He could have sworn it was Nora who had woken up not Marti. He opened a curious eye. Nope it was Nora, and Marti really was at home with Abby and the boys.

"Oh. About what?" he asked half asleep.

"Derek and Casey."

George sniggered in his sleep. "Yeah. They are probably going to give us plenty of those."

"And you can laugh about it?"

"Well…yeah. I mean teenagers…it's in the job description."

"George. Maybe you should ask me what my dream was about before you write this off."

Sensing he wasn't going to be allowed to sleep – even on his wedding night – until they talked about this, he forced himself awake.

"Okay. Shoot." He said, trying to focus his sleep-addled brain on what she was saying.

"Derek was taking Casey to the prom."

George laughed. "How unlikely is _that_?"

"Georgie. They were dating. He persuaded her to go with him by…." Nora hesitated, not exactly sure how to phrase the action the Dream Derek had…erm performed (?) on the Dream Casey.

"…persuasive means of a sexual nature."

"You dreamt about Derek and Casey having sex?!"

Nora nodded, reluctantly.

George put an arm around his wife. (Wife!!!!) "I guess that's my fault." He said.

"Oh?"

"Of course. Everything is all mixed up in your mind. You are mixing your worries about Casey and Derek up with everything that has happened in the past twenty four hours. And after all, you and I …erm cemented our marriage rather decisively earlier."

Nora blushed. "Erm…several times."

"You've just got the one mixed up with the other." George said decisively. "How about I distract you and we…erm…forget about your dream?"

"And this distraction would take what form exactly?"

"You choose." He said. And despite herself, Nora giggled.


	8. The Wedding Night Part II

George Venturi was not someone who normally suffered from insomnia. Normally, he was exhausted, balancing his job and his home life and by the time he crawled into bed he was more than ready for sleep to overtake him.

Tonight however, was different.

Of course, after they first tumbled into bed…together…George had been so exhausted from their…erm…endeavours that he had dropped off to sleep straight away. But when Nora had woken him to share her nightmare with him he had found it very difficult to return to the land of Nod…despite exercising his distraction methods on Nora.

So now that Nora was sleeping peacefully beside him, George too was discovering the world, brought to him in glorious technicolour, by insomnia. He considered Nora's concerns, and he actually wasn't as blasé about them as you might think.

Since Nora had first muted the idea of Derek and Casey and early grandchildren, George had, on occasion, thought about it. (Not as often as Nora, because, after all, he's a man and men back away from difficult issues.) And let's face it…this is Derek Venturi we are talking about…Nora's scenario was…possible. (George had a sudden aversion to the word 'probable').

However, after careful contemplation of the problem, and realising that there was little he could do to avoid the inevitable – if indeed it _was_ all inevitable. And behaving as a typical male of the species (not to be confused with an ostrich although there was a certain degree of head-in-sand-burying going on)…spotting his new wife's current naked state, George Venturi did what any red-blooded male (including his own son) would have done. He rolled over, slipped an arm around said new wife's naked body, cupped a hand under her naked breast and drifted off into oblivion.

And then the dream started.

_Dream Derek awoke from an erotically charged (of the teenage male variety) dream with a raging hard on and a desperate need for a cold shower. So he was less than impressed when he got to the bathroom and found his eldest step-sister engrossed in her own Saturday morning make-over. _

_Bang! Bang! _

"_Up and at'em, Space Case. My turn."_

"_Why should I? It's Saturday morning, everyone else is out and you don't normally surface for another two hours, so it's MY turn. I get to have one day when I'm allowed to take my time with my ablutions."_

"_Your what? Whatever, I need a shower, so move."_

_Dream Casey opened the door._

"_Why?" She looked him up and down. _

_Especially down. _

"_Oh I see, you do need a shower, don't you?" she said smirking in a way that the real George thought should be illegal for real teenage girls to smirk._

"_Who was it?" she asked. "Kendra? Sally? Emily? Which of your little playmates were you dreaming of that had such an…apparent…effect on you?"_

_Dream Derek looked away._

"_Oh…none of those? But someone else I know…hmmm…Sam's new girlfriend? Nah, she isn't your type. Someone forbidden though, because I don't think I've ever seen you look _this_ uncomfortable." She grinned in an evil way (and not hot in the slightest- honest)._

"_Wait! Please tell me you weren't having erotic dreams about me?!" She asked. Real George was positive Real Casey would be a lot less enthused by the idea._

"_Now why would I want to do that?" Dream Derek asked, pushing Casey back into the bathroom._

_Dream Casey reached behind him and locked the door. _

"_Maybe because the idea of an attractive female in the room next to you is just too good an opportunity to miss."_

_Derek took a step towards her and placed a hand against her neck and collarbone. "Sorry you were saying, 'attractive'?" he questioned._

_Casey dropped her towel._

"_Are you disputing that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow._

_Dream Derek swallowed._

"_Erm…no?" he asked. _

_Dream Casey knelt down before him._

Real George woke himself up_._ He shook Nora on the shoulder.

"Ok. This is how we play it." He said in a hoarse whisper. "When we get home, I pull up the landing carpet and take out the nails in a couple of floorboards. A squeaky board next to Derek's bedroom should be the key. Oh…and the bathroom."

"Bathroom?" Nora questioned, half asleep.

"You _really_ don't want to know." He answered.


	9. Episode 1: The Room

"I can't believe we are all under the same roof. Finally!" George said, scooping his new wife into his arms and planting a large kiss on her mouth. Nora giggled and when his hands started to roam didn't stop them. She did however murmur a slight complaint against his lips.

"Georgie. One of the kids might see."

He grinned at her. "Okay. I'll behave but only until later when I get you alone in _our_ bedroom." His wife giggled again as he gave her backside a playful pat.

A cry of "DER-EK!" stopped the game before it went any further. Nora recognised her eldest daughter's voice then a concerning level of banging. Even though they were downstairs, they could hear snippets of the shouted conversation between their eldest children; Derek calling Casey the ugly step-sister, Casey calling Derek a freak, Derek moaning about Edwin being relegated to the attic, Casey moaning about there not being any room in her room.

Nora sighed. "I'm sorry Edwin had to go in the attic." George shrugged.

"Don't be. He's going to complain about it, but actually it was what he wanted. He said he didn't want to be near the girls, but I also think he was looking forward to being away from Derek, he gets used a lot."

"Hmm. Casey can be a bit demanding of Lizzie at times too." They paused, listening to the muffled arguing that was going on in Casey and Lizzie's room; Derek clearly one of the participants.

"Do you think they are going to argue like that all the time?" Nora asked, her shoulders slumping.

"Better than the alternative." George stated. Nora remembered her dream and shivered. George nodded to Nora's laptop which was on the dining room table. "Checking your email?" he asked.

"Ignoring my email." Nora stated. "Especially ones from Casey."

George frowned and glanced at the ceiling. "Not good?" he asked.

"Take a look." Nora said pointing to the screen.

"Subject: Divorce George!" George frowned. "I thought she liked me?"

"She does. It's just Casey letting off steam. She'll calm down. She's just in drama queen mode. But the decision has been made so she isn't really serious. She's just trying to make a point."

"By email?"

"Her father taught her to get everything in writing."

George chuckled. "Sounds like a litigator!"

"Anyway. Let me make us something to eat, we'll have a nice candlelit dinner, just the two of us."

They both winced as determined footprints across the ceiling announced that Derek had stormed out of Casey's bedroom.

"Quick. While it's quiet!"

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They were still eating their little meal when Casey came downstairs looking like thunder. Nora had a fair idea what the problem was since she had now received three emails from Casey and about half an hour ago she had found a note on her dresser laying out the "Issues as I see them." She sighed and hoped things would simmer down soon.

As Casey laid out the issues verbally, interjecting each one with a 'no offence, George', Nora's hand was moving on George's leg. It made concentrating on the aggrieved teenager in front of him rather difficult.

He brushed Nora's hand away, sensing if he didn't pay attention to his new step-daughter now things were going to get difficult. He knew what ignoring a teenager led to…more hassle than taking time out to pay attention in the first place.

George tried to work out which of Casey's grievances he stood a chance of being able to resolve – and settled for the desk situation.

Watching Casey plod her way back upstairs, Nora felt some degree of sympathy for her eldest daughter. She had been uprooted and stuck somewhere she didn't want to be with a bunch of people she didn't know, and tomorrow was a new school. She waited until George returned from moving the desk onto the landing and then went up for a chat.

"How did it go?" George asked when she emerged a while later.

"What was the phrase you used earlier? A long term project?" Nora said with a wry smile. George rubbed her back sympathetically.

"I've got it!" He said a moment later, taking his hand away and making excited guestures. "The rec room!"

"The what room?" Nora asked.

"The recreation room in the basement. We don't use it anymore. We could put Casey's desk down there. It would be quiet, out of the way. It'll be perfect."

Nora smiled at his enthusiasm, and wondered if there was any chance that life would be that simple.

The answer was probably not. Casey was less than enthusiastic about the idea, but faced with that or working on the landing…she sulked.

Nora looked frazzled again and George was starting to look forward to going to work tomorrow.

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"Did you hear that?" George said later that night as they lay in bed. Nora looked up from his chest.

"Did I hear what?" she murmured sleepily.

"That complete absence of sound."

"Hmmm. Not even a 'Der-ek!'" Nora grinned.

"Long may this peace last."

"Georgie. They're asleep. It'll only last until the alarm in the morning."  
"Yeah. But one can but dream."

Nora sniggered. She raised her head and looked at him. "You know, I seem to remember I'm on a promise here…" she said, her fingers tracing patterns on his chest.

George smirked. "You are aren't you?" he said, turning towards her and planting a kiss on her mouth.

"Well quick, hurry up before world war three breaks out again and we're forced to intervene."

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George came home early from work the next day, eager to see his new wife. He walked in through the laundry room and was pounced on by Nora.

"Georgie." She said, after he had finally released her. "I need a favour."

"Anything." He stated; most of the blood in his body now located somewhere south of his belly button.

"Casey wants to hold a family meeting to discuss her concerns."

"Nora…" he started to speak.

"Please Georgie. Apparently, it was something the guidance teacher, Paul said to her. He feels that if she sorts out the space issue then she will feel happier about everything. And I don't see how a family discussion could hurt. I mean there are a lot of us in this family now we need to make time for each other."

"Fine. But you get to explain it all to Derek."

"He's your son, George."

"You want Casey to have her meeting, then you need to tell Derek."

Nora looked stubborn. "Fine. Right. I will. Where is he?"

"Casey! Have you seen Derek?" George hollered up the stairs.

"Detention." Casey said coming into the kitchen.

"For what?"

"Setting all the school clocks twenty minutes fast."

"I thought you were home early." Nora said.

"Yes. Well…" stated Casey. "All of us except Derek." She looked smug.

"And…erm…how exactly did Derek get busted?" Nora asked carefully, suspicion crowding her mind.

"I might have just let slip that I thought the clocks were all wrong and that I'd seen Derek with a stepladder."  
"Casey! Whilst I don't condone what Derek did, is this really the best way to bond with your new step-brother?"

Casey folded her arms. "Mom. Derek needs to learn to live with the consequences of his actions." And with a graceful turn she flounced off to prepare for her family meeting.

Nora felt George's arms slip round her.

"Let's just hope that Derek doesn't know who let it slip." George said softly.

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They had their first big row after the family meeting and it was all Casey's/Derek's fault. (George thought Casey, Nora thought Derek.) Did Casey really think that Derek would in a million years relinquish his bedroom to her? Could Derek not see how it was time for him to make a sacrifice for the new family? Then the tension transferred itself to the adults. It was the way Nora seemed prepared to drive a truck through the whole room issue that rankled George. George "do I really have to make a decision?" Venturi.

They had managed to hold off the resulting argument for all of ten minutes while the kids dispersed back to their rooms. (Casey and Derek butting against each other and arguing all the way up the stairs.) But an argument was inevitable, even if they were determined not to have it in front of the kids. Nora could feel a migraine coming on.

"I'm sorry Nora, I cannot ask Derek to move out of his room."

"My daughters moved two hours away from their rooms, and your son can't move ten foot?"

"Nora, be reasonable. Derek is a hard enough nut to crack as it is. My relationship with him is based on respect and understanding."

"Don't you mean disrespect and wilful misunderstanding?" Nora fired back.

George threw his arms in the air like an old washer woman. "If I take his room away from him he'll never do another thing I ask him to again."

"He doesn't now, George. And why should Casey be punished because she toes the line?"

"Casey isn't being punished."

"That's what it feels like to her."

"My children come first, Nora."

"So do mine."

They glared at each other.

When they went to bed that night, all was silent again. In fact, it was even more silent, because technically they weren't talking to each other.

The next morning, George backed down – of sorts.

"We can't argue like this. It's like we're falling at the first hurdle. There has to be another way."

The silence was deafening as they stood contemplating the situation. Then Nora, who had crossed to a dining chair and sat down, sprang back up again.

"What about the basement?"

"What about it?"

"Well it's big. Couldn't we make it into a bedroom for Casey? I mean she could even have her own bathroom. She would love it. Then Lizzie could have their room, Derek could keep his and everyone would be happy."

George looked thoughtful. "You know, that isn't such a bad idea. I'm quite handy with the old toolbelt."

"I could do soft furnishings. It would be a great first project together."

"Let's go down and take a look." George said enthusiastically.

So they did.

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Casey's initial reluctance passed into a frenzy of enthusiasm that had Nora vaguely suspicious, but George decided that they shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, so Nora held her tongue. They worked feverishly on it all weekend and Nora was pleased to see that she and George could work well together under pressure. She also liked the way Lizzie and Edwin mucked in to help – with the minimum amount of coercion.

Then, came the big reveal. And the emergence of Casey and Derek rivalry mark II (or was it III?).

And George's anger boiled over. Nora really couldn't blame him for the whole, "let's shut them in the basement" thing, because she felt equally aggrieved. She insisted on sitting in the kitchen to listen, although she wasn't sure if it was to stop them killing each other or something _far_ worse.

There had been a time in Nora's life when her marriage was failing and she had persuaded Dennis to attend relationship counselling. They had been good students, attending every week, doing their homework and so on. They discussed things reasonably and gave time to each other. The problem was the marriage was so far beyond repair that even weekly sessions with a trained counsellor couldn't recover a shred of what had once existed between them. While they had attended though, the couple who had the 5.30pm session before them had been an entertainment. Nora and Dennis had sat in the little waiting room and listened through the door at length to the declarations of war, accusation and counter-accusation which were flung between the two halves of the other couple. They had been convinced that when their own marriage was finally declared insoluble, the 5.30pm couple would be close behind them.

It goes without saying that it was on a particularly lonely day when Nora was feeling really sad about her divorce that she saw the 5.30pm couple in a Toronto supermarket. The husband was kissing his wife, his arm gently around her, and when they moved apart, Nora saw the large baby bump that had not been present when they shared a counsellor nine months earlier.

Nora was happy now. She had a new husband and a larger family. But as she sat in her new(ish) kitchen listening to his son and her daughter fight it out over the basement room, she was transported back to that waiting room in the counsellor's office.


	10. Episode 2: The Fall

It had been two weeks since the McDonalds moved in. Two Weeks. Fourteen days. Three hundred and fifty hours.

And already Nora could see the lay of the land. She was used to saying "Casey and Lizzie", because she often talked about both of her daughters together, but in the space of such a short time, the balance had changed. Now she found herself linking her eldest daughter with her new eldest step-son in conversation; sort of like 'Tom and Jerry', 'Ren and Stimpy' or 'Bonnie and Clyde'.

Unfortunately, in making comparisons with all three pairings it was hard to ignore the _homicidal_ element.

There had been somewhere in the region of two hundred and fifty separate arguments over those two weeks between 'Tom' and 'Jerry'; arguments which Nora and George had been forced to break up. She had stopped counting after ten. The only thing that helped her keep an approximate score was that she could guarantee that somewhere almost every hour, 'Tom and Jerry' AKA Derek and Casey found something to fight about.

Nora wondered why it was the elder two. Edwin and Lizzie for example seemed to have knitted into a friendship. (Admittedly it was born from their shared experiences as younger, subordinate siblings. Both children were often ridden over, roughshod.)

But for Derek and Casey…

The trouble was Nora had watched 'Moonlighting', 'JAG' and every other conflict-driven UST series for the last two decades. (She had a thing for Harmon Rabb, and probably wouldn't turn down David Addison). She really hoped that if it was UST it didn't get resolved on _her_ watch.

Nora quickly understood the pairings were set in stone: Derek and Casey, Edwin and Lizzie, and Marti – bless her.

Marti, of course, was a law unto herself.

* * *

Nora thought she knew her husband quite well by now. They had spent hours talking before their marriage – when they weren't…

Yes…well…moving swiftly on…

They had talked politics. (She wondered if their similar views on the Middle East would help when it came to negotiating the Derek and Casey armistice.)

They had talked religion. (George, like Nora, considered himself Christian…he wished certain children would just get the whole 'love thy neighbour' thing real soon. Nora was rather afraid they would.)

They talked children. (Loved them, couldn't eat a whole one.)

All in all, she thought they were very similar. And she loved him to pieces.

But his cooking skills…

At the two week mark, George decided to show that this was a modern household, that he didn't expect Nora to always pick up the burden of putting an edible meal in front of their large _blended_ family.

He cooked.

Casey, with uncharacteristically good timing, declined and barricaded herself in her room. He tried not to take that personally.

"This looks…good." Nora said…supportively…not hugely truthful though.

Derek threw her a look, a very patronising look. "It looks disgusting. Dad since when do you cook?"

George replied, defensively. "We're a family and a family that eats together…"

"Barfs together." Edwin shot back. Nora bit her lip. And then Marti was in her 'cute' mode.

"Remember last year when I barfed and it had yellow chunks in it?"

Nora tasted iron.

George's skills as a lawyer were second to none. In particular, his poker face. "Indeed I do. That was the day we got the new station-wagon. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'new car smell'"

Nora was worried the blood in her mouth would leak out and show.

"It reeked." Edwin interjected. _Pot and Black_, thought Nora who had a vague recollection of being in the same room as Edwin for a long period of time where she seriously worried about her nasal well-being. She sighed. These children really tested your senses. Maybe it was a boy thing.

A welcome distraction in the form of Lizzie came down from upstairs.

"Casey says she doesn't feel like eating." Nora was concerned and all amusement disappeared.

"Yeah." Casey's partner-in-crime said, pushing his plate away. "I hear that."

Lizzie looked at Derek with frustration. "She seems really upset."

"Is she being _emotional_?" Edwin asked with the innocence of a pre-teen.

"Again?" Derek said. Nora was under no illusion about Derek's innocence when it came to Casey.

She had to be supportive. "What's wrong with being emotional?" she asked, softly.

George was in paternal mode. "Nothing at all. Guys, listen, now that you have two new sisters you are going to have to be more sensitive. Girls are often quite emotional…that's perfectly normal especially at Casey's age."

Derek laughed. _Nice one Dad, Nora's going to LOVE that!_

He was right, Nora leapt to Casey defence. "George…that's just stupid. I mean, maybe something happened at school today."

Nora winced as she saw the look of triumph on Derek's face. "She didn't tell you about the Incident?"

"What incident?" …with a sense of foreboding.

Derek explained, laughing. Nora was horrified.

Poor Casey.

Then she realised her eldest daughter was a party to this conversation…and Tom and Jerry were at it again. Nora rolled her eyes.

* * *

She visited her 'favourite drama queen' in her room.

Nora wondered how Casey could honestly think that she could transfer to a Hebrew school. Was SJST _really_ that bad? (The look in Casey's eyes right now…She wondered if she would be forced to hold a Bat Mitzvah…)

But, despite how Casey made out that this was about school, Nora knew it was really about Derek.

Nora listened. In fact, she thought she should update her CV to major on her listening skills. And maybe add a 'putting my foot in it' category, because, to be honest, relating her retainer-locking incident to make her daughter smile…that was undoubtedly a new low.

She left Casey's room and made her way down to her own, new bedroom. George was waiting for her.

"How did it go?"

"I told her about some of my embarrassing experiences."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And George? When it comes to Parent's Consultation Evening…you get the Geography teacher."

* * *

Things only got worse and then Derek somehow provoked another fall incident and George was forced to go and talk to Casey. This was new for him. When Abby had delivered his first daughter he assumed he had at least thirteen years before this sort of discussion became necessary.

He entered Casey's room with more than a little trepidation.

"So how are things?"

"Things are bad, George. Very bad."

He could do understanding. He could show that he had listened…to Derek.

"Right, the fall…both of them." Casey frowned. From the amusement in his eyes, it was obvious where he had got his information from. She cringed. He cowered…from the idea of tears.

And then George had gone on to tell her about his car accident story.

It was good. It was funny. It was distracting.

But, Casey was left thinking if she had one more anecdote from a parental figure she might consider leaving home.

She wasn't above being grateful, however, and George's empathy was nice. And when he had done something really sweet and promised to run interference if Derek tried to bug her….well…they had shared their first step-father/daughter hug.

And he _had_ tried to run interference, briefly, until the whole thing descended into a food fight.

Nora wasn't impressed when the entente cordiale broke out into a scene she had once witnessed in Bugsy Malone. Food fights are amusing on screen, less so when you are the one cleaning up.

Nora let George have it.

"The next food fight…you clean up."

"Oh come on Nora, it was just a bit of fun."  
"And you need to start standing up to Derek. What are you? A man or a mouse?"

He stood there and watched his new wife and he totally agreed with her, in all areas. Totally.

His mouth opened to confirm this, but all that came out was "Squeak?"

Still reeling from the surprising 'Nora glare', George took Casey to one side again.

"You know, Casey if you try to argue something out with Derek, you'll never win. He's quick-witted and he'll turn any viewpoint to suit him. You'll never win the war." He smirked and looked so like Derek it was creepy. "But you can win a few battles, if you try to think like a Venturi."

Casey sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ok George. Let's hear it."

* * *

George was relieved when Casey came home from school slightly happier the following day. Maybe he could do this step-father thing for girls.

"A better day?" he asked her as she prepared dinner in the kitchen.

Casey smirked. "A bit. Derek wasn't quite such a jerk to me, and Sam walked me to class." She smiled at the memory. "And it's going to get _even_ better." Her face had a look of Venturi cunning. George looked puzzled and then concerned. Maybe he had just triggered Thermo-nuclear warfare.

"Hey! This is actually good! Who made this?" Edwin asked looking towards the McDonald end of the dining table. Much as he was Team Venturi it was a dead cert the food in front of him hadn't come from someone on his squad.

"Me." Casey stated looking briefly at her mom with a smile. Finally, something that impressed the Venturis!

"It's delicious!" George agreed with enthusiasm, possibly slightly over-doing it. Or not. Like the rest of his family, George liked his food.

"And the _crust_! Who knew potato chips could taste better?" Especially, potato chips!

Nora smiled, pleased for Casey, but then her heart involuntarily popped into her throat when Derek opened his mouth. Nora braced herself for the sarcastic comment she knew would burst Casey's bubble.

"I have to say it's not _totally_ awful…" Derek paused. "Well done Casserole Casey!"

You could have knocked Nora over with a feather. Maybe Derek could be a decent person after all.

Casey beamed. Not for the first time, Nora was an unwitting spectator as her daughter's eyes locked with her step-son's. At least this time she was smiling.

"Casserole Casey…I like that."

Marti piped up. "I want a nickname." She complained.

"You can be Marti the Munchkin." Derek said spearing more food on his fork.

George's eyes met Nora's whilst their children discussed nicknames, for the first time in a while – possibly ever – they were having an almost civilised meal.

Then the challenge was back in Derek's eyes.

"Come on. I'm waitin'…" Derek said to Casey, daring her to think up a nickname for him as the others had.

She declined gracefully. "…I think I've heard enough name calling."

Derek smirked. "You got nothing." He said and reached for his drink.

Casey's eyes dropped to her plate, in submission…or not.

"You're right. But eh…your friend Sam mentioned one…" Derek's mouth froze mid swallow. At the ends of the table, Nora and George began to feel jittery.

Casey continued. "…from when you had really long hair in grade seven…"

Derek looked down and carried on eating.

"Can you…er…pass the butter?" He said not looking at Casey who was grinning broadly.

"Sure thing…_Dereka_." She replied triumphantly.

The family erupted into laughter and George glanced at Nora as they both relaxed. A stony-faced Derek tried to carry on eating, but the realisation that Casey had caught him out, and in a way that wasn't totally lacking in humour hit him. He glanced up at his nemesis and smiled somewhat reluctantly.

Casey grinned at George. _Battle won, I think._

Later as George and Nora were enjoying a clandestine snuggle in the kitchen, Nora smiled up at him.

"Casey handled dinner well tonight." She said.

"The food or the entertainment?" George asked, grinning back.

"Both." They chuckled.

George stroked his wife's hair affectionately.

"You know, I don't think it is going to be me that keeps Derek in check from now on. I think Casey just stole my job."

"You don't fancy swapping seats at dinner do you? Sitting between them is a little like being a referee."

"Nah. You do it so well."

Nora made a huffing sound.

"Anyway, tonight at least we should have some peace. Derek will sit in his room and plot the next Casey offensive."

"And Casey will sit in her room and record her achievement in her journal."

George bent his head to kiss her softly.

Upstairs, they heard someone emerge from the bathroom, and then a series of loud thumps as two sets of feet jumped from their respective beds and scrambled onto the landing.

Evidently both Casey and Derek needed the bathroom.

There was a massive crash as Casey tripped over something in her haste to beat Derek. Nora and George hurried up the stairs to investigate.

The scene before them would have been hilarious if this had been the first time something like this had happened. But it wasn't.

Casey and Derek were a pile of limbs on the floor and nearby was a broken vase.

Derek looked up at their parents. "Don't look at me. This was all Klutzilla's fault."

George and Nora groaned.


End file.
